Religion
The majority of religion in Macandria revolves around the worship of the deity Naliar. In centuries past, sects dedicated to the other demiurges were prevalent, but they dwindled into small cults with the arrival of the Thuric Temple (which would later schism into the modern temples). The Northern Religions Thuric Temple The Thuric temple is the most prevalent religion in Thur and in Nareaaigi Draconia, and was once the most prevalent in Macandria and Galdiens. Its founder and exact date of founding are unknown, but it evolved sometime in the late third millenium PME. In legend, the druids founded the religion when Thyr wrote on their bodies what would become the basis of their most holy scripture--the seven commands. The basis of the Temple's beliefs are that the ultimate goal is order. They believe that Thyr strives to create a universe free from chaos, which they see as the root of all suffering and evil. Good and order, evil and chaos--these are considered synonymous. The question of which method is best for achieving order is, however, disputed. There are two main schools of thought--the Doctrine of Strength and the Doctrine of Heart. The former sees humans as inherently prone to failure and unable to resist the selfish temptations that drive society into chaos. They believe that the only way to ensure order for the greatest number is by means of discipline. They hold that only through obedience to a wiser and more holy authority, can humankind achieve an end to chaos. Thyr's place in the Doctrine of Strength is that of a supreme leader who acts through king and clergy to bring mankind closer to Samhölma--perfect order. The Doctrine of the Heart believes that humans are flawed, but not necessarily inherently prone to failure. They believe that Thyr gave humankind his grace, and that he guides individuals to act for the benefit of the world through this grace. They hold that the clergy's place is to foster grace and further encourage development in people that leads them away from chaos. Authority alone is not sufficient to ensure Samhölma is reached, on the contrary, they see too much control as a way to foster eventual chaos. Thyr's place in the Doctrine of the Heart is that of a teacher and guide. The Thuric Temple holds that humans reincarnate, living mortal life after mortal life until the world achieves Samhölma at the end of time, an age in which humans will live eternally in a paradise on tellus. Orthodox Temples Circa PME500, a Pono traveller named Euclid Xystes started to preach, after a visit to Thur, that Naliar (which is the descendant of the word Nularu ''meaning "Supreme Deity") wanted for humankind to find the Samhölma (now called Sahulma in Macandrio-Galdienese) within, and that He gave humanity the means to do so. Euclid proposed that human beings have the ability to do righteous actions in order to achieve a personal sense of Sahulma which would extend into the afterlife. He rejected the Thuric belief of constant reincarnation until the end of chaos, instead proposing that once someone has found his or her own Sahulma, that death will bring them into Naliar's own paradise in his plane. When the Valkyries and their warriors attempted to silence Euclid--the legend goes--a lion with a golden aura appeared from the heavens and mauled the assailants to death, sending the message that Euclid was not to be harmed. After this event, Euclid and his disciples founded in Pono the first Orthodox temple. He spent the rest of his life writing its holy book--''Iyros Bivilios. Over the course of the next couple of centuries, its popularity in what is now Macandria and Galdiens grew tremendously and the Thuric Temple's hold on the region ended. Imperial Temple The Imperial Temple and the Orthodox temple are nearly identical. One difference is that the Imperial Temple believes that Macander was the son of Naliar and that the emperors are of divine blood. The Orthodox Temple vehemently rejects this. A second major difference between them is that while the Orthodox Temple is not a single organization, but rather a collection of temples that follow the same scripture and doctrines, the Imperial Temple is a centralized and hierarchical organization sanctioned and funded by the Imperial government. Ntarjori Temple When the Dragon Exiles captured, ate, and bred Thuric villagers in the caverns of Ntarjor for nearly eight hundred years, they developed a significant following among their own livestock. Although liberated about fifteen hundred years ago, they continue to worship their former captors to this day. The Ntarjori believe in the same basic principles as the Thuric Temple, but they hold that Thyr (Ntar) was actually leader of the dragon exiles. To them, living as livestock was paradise--they lived without worrying about running out of food or not having shelter, and when they died both their bodies and spirits became one with Ntar as he and his apostles (the dragons) consumed them. Due to this, cannibalism is a ritual in Ntarjori funerals. The Ntarjori believe that someday the dragon Ntar will be born anew and will bring back the long-gone age of paradise, spreading it to all virtuous and faithful humans on Tellus. Philosophically, the Ntarjori Temple follows a school-of-thought very similar to that of the Thuric Doctrine of Strength. They believe that the key to Samhölma (which they call the Ntarnagroq meaning return of the dragon-lord) is through obedience and submission to authority. Laaxo Astrology The Laaxo do not have an organized centralized religion like the Thuric Temple or the Imperial Temple. They also do not have ordained priests or any official scripture. They worship the old gods--the other Demiurges--alongside Nuuxy-Ril (Naliar), whom they see as the king of the other gods. They also believe that all of the gods and demigods watch over us in the form of constellations or celestial objects. Central to the faith of Laaxo Astrologers is the belief in "Nuuxy-Aelur" or "Starlight" which holds that as the gods are composed of stars, we (our souls) are composed of starlight, which--in its purest form--compose the stars themselves. In other words, the Laaxo believe that the essence of all living things in the universe is made of the same element in varying amounts. The most prominent and popular school of ethical thought within Laaxo Astrology states that because all life is united in that it comes from the light that powers the stars, and that because when people die they rejoin the stars, it is the moral duty of every mortal to treat all other living things with respect. Eguzke Ancestor Worship Also commonly referred to as Eguzke Animism, is the belief system shared by the four Eguzke tribes. The specifics vary from tribe to tribe, but they all believe that the spirit of their ancestors never truly disappear. Instead they go into the rocks, the water, plants, animals, the sun, the moons, and other parts of the natural world. In the minds of the Eguzke, showing the utmost respect to their natural surroundings is paramount. They believe that any abuse of nature is an abuse of their ancestors; in a way, they view the world as part of their family. Stone Worship In the Ahzyyn deserts, exists a plant known as the Thukauÿy Ënyyzhhefath ''or "Stonefruit". It looks like and has the hard exterior of a stone, but when split open, it is full of fresh water and juicy pulp. These "stone" oases are the site of several Ahzyyn settlements, and in years past, most Ahzyyn worshipped them as gifts from the father of the stone ''Fabath Enyyzhwyr. Many scholars believe that Fabath Enyyzhwyr is the same being as Naliar. In the past several centuries, Stone Worship has fallen from popularity, replaced mainly by Tang-Truong. Tang-Truong Tang-Truong means "growth force" and also "magic" in the Caynguoi language of Yuan, and is short for "The Path of Magic". Established by magicians which also now act as its highest priests, the philosophy of Tang-Truong promotes the idea of a single unifying life-force which they call ''Tang Truong. ''In the rest of Macandria it is known as the Voice. The followers of Tang-Truong believe that the mind of men and the Voice are inseperable parts of single entity, which controls the processes of the world--from the flow of water to the shining of the sun. They see the mages of Macandria as foolish for their rejection of the Voice as a partner to be united with. For a magical follower of Tang-Truong the ultimate goal in life is to submit to the will of and unite with the Voice. To resist it, in their belief, is to inflict upon oneself unecessary suffering. The non-magical majority of Tang-Truong are considered the "less sensitive" and strive to become one with the Voice in a future life. They believe that in order to reincarante as a magician one must spend one's life becoming "more sensitive" to the Voice. This is done through meditation, aescetics, and other methods which detach the mind from the limitations of the body. The precise method(s) which are thought to best do this vary from sect to sect within Tang-Truong. Tang-Truong mages differ from those in the rest of the world in that they spend their life in isolation from the rest of the world, seeking enlightenment and living simple lives in secluded monasteries. This religion is popular in Yuan, Ahzyyn, and Kriyerya. It has also spread to a small degree throughout Imperial Culture, but remains unpopular there. To date, no Macandrian mage outside of Ahzyyn has accepted Tang-Truong. Demiurgic Cults Some still worship the old gods (paganism) or have rejected Naliar in favor of a renewed reverence for the old demiurges (neopaganism). Ataxios/Sjor Worship of Ataxios within what is now Macandria was never popular; most people saw him as a malevolent entity. To this day, no paganist cult of Ataxios survives. There are two schools of neopaganist thought concerning his worship. Protean Cult Founded in PME108 by Proteus Orlo in Sobania. Those who worship Ataxios in the more popular Protean cult, reject his malevolence, insisting he is the keeper of the cycle of Strength and Weakness, which ensures the gradual improvement of the world through the elimination of those too weak to survive. It is held by the Proteans that simple charity serves only to bring the world down. They believe strongly in empowering others rather than giving to them. They have approximately 20,000 self-identifying members as of ME305. Sadean Cult Founded in ME173 by Sadeynr Frederikarson Dhverf in Dhverfeimr. Compared to even the Protean Cult, Sadean Sjor worship is extremely unpopular. It is thought that there are no more than eight hundred members across the entire Empire. The members of the Sadean Cult see Sjor as a liberator. They see themselves as above the moral restraints that others adhere to. They believe that Sjor is the force that drives humanity away from these restraints, and they worship him as a symbol of hedonistic pleasure--which they view as the ultimate purpose of life. Natura Worship of Natura has one major paganistic branch, and two neopaganistic branches. Old Cult of Natura This is the surviving paganist cult of Natura from before the spread of the Orthodox Temple. They see Natura as the goddess of balance between, and mother of, Lex (Order) and Ataxios (Chaos). They hold that Natura is responsible for the creation of the universe as do the other Northern religions, but unlike them, they believe that she is not an imperfect creator. They have approximately 492,000 self-identified members as of ME305. Aurelian Cult of Natura Aurelius Severus founded The Aurelian Cult of Natura in ME17 in a town outside of Notianutulia. They share many of the same beliefs as their paganist counterpart, but they also believe that Natura is indeed an imperfect creator. They believe that she did not create a perfect world, but that she is none-the-less the mother of humanity and therefore worthy of worship. They have approximately 12,800 self-identified members as of ME305. Uran Cult of Natura Founded by Ura Liber in ME200 in Cartaega. The followers of the Uran Cult of Natura, a small but long-lasting and well-known cult, worship Natura as a goddess of fertility and sexual pleasure--which they view as one and the same. They promote polyamory, free from the restraints of the social norms of monogamy (however, they view contraception as taboo). They also reject the institution of marraige. They have approximately 8000 self-identified members across the Empire as of ME305. Lex There are no neopaganist cults of Lex, and only one paganist cult. For the most part, Naliar has replaced Lex as god of order. Old Cult of Lex This is the surviving paganist cult of Lex from before the spread of the Orthodox Temple. They believe that Lex is the offspring of Natura and that he is responsible for the inherent order in the universe, which they revere. It has about 11,300 self-identified members as of ME305. Nontheism Some, but not many, reject the idea of any god as inherently sacred. The specific beliefs of these individuals vary, but they all do not believe that any deity, spirit, or force is worthy of worship. Category:Browse Category:Lore Category:Social Science